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ARTICLE · 05 DECEMBER 2025

Happy (Statutory) Holidays: 10 Rules Employers Need To Know

McCarthy Tétrault
McCarthy Tétrault
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With the holiday season approaching, Ontario employers should be mindful of their public holiday obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the "ESA").

CanadaEmployment and HR
McCarthy Tétrault Employer Advisor
McCarthy Tétrault Employer Advisor
Justine Lindner
Justine Lindner
Aliya Hemani
Aliya Hemani
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With the holiday season approaching, Ontario employers should be mindful of their public holiday obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the "ESA"). To assist, we have compiled a list of ten key public holiday requirements.

  1. There are nine public holidays in Ontario: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. The entitlements described below exist in respect of only these holidays.
  2. An employee must meet certain criteria to qualify for public holiday entitlements. Generally, employees qualify for public holiday entitlements unless they fail to work all of their last regularly scheduled day of work before the public holiday or all of their first regularly scheduled day of work after the public holiday (this is called the "Last and First Rule"). If an employee agrees or is required to work on a public holiday and fails to work their entire shift, they will also not be

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